A Holly Jolly Christmas
by iluvbrendonurie
Summary: Caroline figures the only way to spare Tyler's life is to hatch up a bargain. And what better way to do it than over Christmas Eve dinner with the Mikaelsons?


** A/N:** Hey! This is the sequel to my Halloween fic Sinners Like Us. If you didn't read it, then don't worry! All you have to know is that Klaus and Caroline had sex. Really that's all the background! As per usual, this is a bit AU! Enjoy and Happy Holidays! Be safe!

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"We're having Christmas Eve dinner at the Mikaelson's." Elena tilts her head in confusion and nearly drops her cell phone. She didn't hear Caroline correctly. She stops painting her toenails and asks her friend again, this time to speak more clearly.

"We're having Christmas Eve dinner at the Mikaleson's," Caroline repeats, enunciating every word. "I know it sounds crazy-"

Elena spits out her iced tea. "It's not crazy, Caroline! It's a death sentence!"

"-but if you would just hear me out I think we-"

"There's nothing to hear out! Why would you...why would I even want to be near him! I'm this way because of his sister!"

"And you love the way you are now so..."

"I don't _love_ anything, Caroline," she begins to trail off.

"Either way...I think that it's time we try and make a truce..."

Elena drops her head in disbelief. She's this close to hanging up the phone and continuing her second coat. What kind of crack idea is this? Klaus has a death warrant out for Tyler. He killed Mayor Lockwood. How stupid can Caroline be? Honestly!

"Elena, you still there?" Caroline asks. "I know how it sounds, but I promise this will be different."

"Isn't he on to you being a distraction now?"

"This isn't a distraction," Caroline confesses. "No one put me up to this. It's...genuine."

A sudden bloodlust takes over Elena's being. "That's great, Caroline. I hope you're happy together."

Caroline can hear the sarcasm in her friend's voice, but before she has a chance to defend herself Elena hangs up. She'll come around. She has to. When Caroline thought of the idea, she was solely thinking of Tyler. And yeah, they weren't together any longer, but she still loved the guy dearly. They've been through so much together in such a short amount of time, and even though he acted completely foolish during the past few months didn't mean he deserved to die. How was he supposed to know he was signing the death certificates of twelve hybrids? He shouldn't have trusted Jules 2.0 and he should've just been happy with Caroline. If he had told her about what he was planning to do, she would've went with him.

But that was a long time ago. Caroline no longer felt that way about him, but they were still friends. Also, she couldn't really face him properly after that whole scandal during the Halloween party. She doesn't think anyone knows about it, but Tyler had to have suspected something. Don't hybrids have a better sense of scent than a normal vampire or werewolf? He had to have known something. Caroline was warm vanilla and soap while Klaus was spice and musk and masculinity. And when the two combined...

She tries not to remember. When he said he wouldn't compel her to forget, he meant it. It's all she thinks about every night when she's trying to fall asleep. She closes her eyes and suddenly an image of his mouth on her neck is clear. And when she opens them, it's like he's right there hovering over her body. Sometimes she swears he's doing some shitty mind games, but then she realizes that he probably couldn't care less after the dumb stint they tried to pull the other week.

Which is why she came up with the idea of this Christmas Eve dinner. She stopped by the mansion the day before and when he answered he proceeded to then shut the door in her face.

"Holding grudges?" she mused. "Isn't that a bit high school for you?"

She kicked in the doors and stepped into the foyer, eyeing him as he made his way up the stairs.

"Caroline, if you take another step I will rip out your heart and present it to your mother."

She swallowed. Okay. It was time for perky Caroline to come on out. She'd done with at the Grill when he could've just killed her, but he decided to leave. It was the smile. It had to be the smile.

"Klaus, I know you're angry," she started, beaming and trying her best to be empathetic, "but keep in mind that you've done some pretty terrible things and—"

He turned around, pure anger written all over his face. "If you've come to make peace, then you have a very peculiar way of going about it."

She scoffed. "Look, guy! You tried to kill Elena several times. You killed Mayor Lockwood and Jenna!"

Klaus narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Who the bloody hell is that?"

Caroline placed her hands on her hips. "Elena's aunt."

Still didn't ring a bell.

"The sacrifice..."

Oh. That was a more than year ago. Who honestly cared anymore? Klaus didn't and neither should she. Vampires don't mourn for a year when there are better things to care about.

"You should be thanking me," he concluded.

She rolled her eyes. Underappreciated Klaus. Great.

"Had she not been used in breaking the hybrid curse, then she would've died a much more painful death in the near future. What, with the way you Mystic Falls folk drop like flies."

"The only people who drop like flies are your useless hybrids."

"And thanks to your _mongrel _I don't have anymore."

Caroline sucked in a breath, determined to remain cool. She didn't come here to argue or whatever. Okay. Maybe kind of, but not this way. She was just supposed to put a case for him to let Tyler go without a scratch and that Mayor Lockwood's death is more painful than any inflicted harm that befalls upon him. So when she told him as much, needless to say her and Klaus didn't exactly see eye to eye. "One doesn't exactly try ridding their savior and expect not to suffer the ramifications" as Klaus so eloquently put it.

"But he's your last hybrid," Caroline reasoned. "He's also your first. Do you really want to end him?"

Klaus seemed to think it over for one quick second and she thought she had reeled him in, but nope. "This is why I have the doppelganger, Caroline," he told her. "There are thousands more where Tyler came from. What makes you think he's so unique?"

"Because…" Caroline began to explain, but then stopped. Now wasn't the time to get into this. She came for one thing and one thing only. "What if all of us just get together and talked about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about, love."

"Come on. You owe me for ruining my party."

"And you and your friends have tried to vanquish me numerous times. Sweetheart, I think it's safe to say we're even. Not that you minded anyway..."

"That was a mistake."

He leaned over on the railing, smiling devilishly. "Mistakes happen accidentally, Caroline. Not purposely."

Her cheeks flamed red as her thoughts drifted back to those short and sinful and disdainful moments of lust. She wasn't thinking correctly back then. She was angry with Tyler and frustrated and sex was the only way she could vent out her emotions properly. If she hadn't, then she might have torn into someone's neck and fed until she couldn't breathe. At least, that's what Caroline tries to tell herself. It was just a fling, a one-night thing. It meant nothing.

"Regardless," she said flippantly, "Christmas Eve. We're having Christmas Eve dinner here with everyone and it will be civilized and maybe even...fun."

He dropped his gaze. "If you think I don't know you're used solely for distra—"

She raised her hands in surrender. "You don't have a reason to trust me, but I swear no one put me up to this."

"You expect me to believe you came here on your own accord? You're funny, Caroline. Absolutely hilarious."

"You don't have to believe me," she explained as she backed out of the door, "but I'm going to be here next Monday and I expect a party."

It was a ballsy move, yes. He had every chance to kill her where she stood, but he didn't for whatever reason. Maybe it really was the smile. Or he actually was beginning to soften up around her. Not even softening though…just letting his guard down. She's an exception whether he chooses to believe it or not.

* * *

On Christmas Eve, she's picked out three dresses to choose from. One is red and sultry and distracting, but really does she want to wear that and raise eyebrows? Because why would she be dressing sexily if she's not trying to be a distraction? Also, if her friends do show up and they know none of this is a ruse, she'll stick out like a sore thumb. So the red is the first to go.

Her other dress is blue and reminiscent of the ball gown Klaus got for her, only it's strapless and stops just below her knees. She thinks her mom bought it while she was out of town a few years ago, which would explain the bow in the middle of the waistline. So how about no?

The last one is shimmery gold with a high waist and thin straps. It's cute, she decides. It's not too much and not too little. She can wear like a shrug or something over it and sheer tights underneath. Caroline the fashionista. She knows how to work it.

Caroline is pleasantly surprised when she goes to the Mikaelson's . In the middle of the driveway there are three Christmas trees lined up, adorned in gold and red bulbs with a large star on the tops of each. Icicle lights are attached around the front door and there is fake snow on the doorstep and in the lawn.

She scoffs. Who did he have to compel for all of this? Not that she's any better, but she honestly can't see Klaus caring enough for his house to be..._themed_.

"Do those legs go all the way up?"

Caroline cringes. _Please please don't let it be._

"I don't believe we've officially met," Kol says, coming up behind her.

She sucks in a breath and turns around slowly. Didn't he, like, skip town or something?

"I'm—"

"Kol," Caroline interrupts, extending her hand. Well, might as well be polite. She's surprised to see what he has on; a sweater. Kol Mikaelson is wearing a green and red ugly Christmas sweater with reindeer across the chest. She tries not to choke.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing here?" he asks her, touching her arm.

Her eyebrows knit together in frustration. "Okay, let's get this straight. You might be an Original, but that doesn't give you any right to talk to me any way you please. Or touch me for that matter." She cringes as she snatches herself away from the boy, because that's all he is. A boy. Seriously, he's like a starving and raging hormonal high school boy going through puberty.

Kol cocks his head and a mischievous grin spreads across his face. "My brother said you were a challenge, but darling I don't really see the point."

Before Caroline can even think about it, her hand is flying up in the air, ready to collide into the side of the arrogant vampire's face, but he grasps her wrist before she can.

"Not the face," he says lowly, his grip tightening. One little flick of his wrist and hers will be broken. "Anything but the face, darling."

Instead of trying to snatch her wrist away from him, she brings her left knee up and hits him in the groin, sending him reeling. _Ho ho ho, motherfucker._ She rubs her wrist and gives him the finger before walking inside the mansion. Nobody touches Caroline Forbes and gets away with it.

Once inside she catches a whiff of cinnamon and it takes her back to how when she was a kid and her father always put extra cinnamon in her eggnog because she loved the taste so much. Those were the days, she muses. Childhood innocence.

She walks further into the mansion, finding her way through the ballroom where a rather colossal Christmas tree stands in the middle. Blood red bulbs cover it and even the lights are red.

_Seriously?_

"Look what the cat dragged in," Rebekah croons.

Caroline's eyes widen and she spins around. Rebekah's dressed in all black. Black dress, black tights, black shoes; she's the angel of death on Christmas Eve. Well, have a holly jolly Christmas to you, too. "Who undaggered you?" Caroline questions incredulously.

Rebekah smirks and starts to walk circles around her, twirling a lock of blonde hair with a finger. "Wouldn't you like to know…"

"Whatever," Caroline says absently. "Where's your brother?"

Rebekah narrows her eyes and shifts her weight to one leg, crossing her arms over her chest. She's in an accusatory mood and Caroline really doesn't feel like dealing with this so she casually walks past her, her heels clicking with her fierce attitude.

"Please at least try to mask your attraction," Rebekah groans. "It's sickening, to be honest."

"You're talking to the wrong person," she shoots back.

"Don't give me that, Caroline. I know all about your dirty little romp in the hay."

Caroline freezes and gulps. _What? _She has to be making it up. There's no way she would know. Klaus wouldn't tell her. Why would he? Who does that? _Gross._

Rebekah smiles having reeled in her fish. "Do you know how easy it is to get into someone's thoughts when they're asleep? To see their dreams?"

Caroline visibly gawks. He's been dreaming about her?

"At first I thought it was just his imagination…a very recurring imagination, mind you," Rebekah continues, smirking. "But I've lived with my brother for a thousand years and I know his dreams better than he knows them himself. Everything was always the same right down to a T every single night. There's a party, you're dressed as a regular doxy, you throw petty jibes at him, and the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. And then, well, you know the rest."

Caroline tenses and tries to keep her jaw from dropping. "What do you want from me?"

Rebekah's smile is sickly sweet. "You have nothing I want, Caroline," she states matter-of-factly. "I just figured you should know that it's only a matter of time before your friends know…"

She begins to walk away, but Caroline snatches her arm. "We still have a white oak stake and I'm not afraid to use it."

Rebekah laughs. "When will you and your friends learn that trying to kill me or my family just won't work?"

"It worked with Finn."

Rebekah's face darkens and the smile turns into a straight line. "Nik may be smitten with you, but I will not hesitate to rip out your tongue."

"Then do it," Caroline challenges.

"Are we early or…"

Both of the vampires spin around quickly to see Elena and Damon hand-in-hand.

"I think we underdressed," Damon mutters referring to their casual jeans and t-shirt outfits.

"Who undaggered you?" Elena shouts, vamping out already.

"You know, I'm starting to feel like no one is exactly thrilled to see me," Rebekah sighs. "Anyway, if all of you would be so kind as to head to the dining room so we can get this thing over with."

When she's gone, Caroline tries to calm herself over this newfound knowledge. Okay, so Rebekah knows, but not really. It's really just an assumption and whom is she going to go to with an assumption. She's a liar. A manipulative one at that. No one is going to believe a word she has to say about anything because she's just an angry little girl trapped inside a prehistoric body. Ouch. So let her say what she wants to say. Caroline is a good liar…sometimes.

"How is she here?" Elena whispers angrily. "Caroline, if you knew—"

"I didn't," Caroline defends. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, good thing we brought the stake," Elena mutters and Caroline's eyes are like saucers.

"Please be a little louder with that information," Damon snaps.

"Well, good thing we brought—" Elena starts to shout, but Damon covers her mouth.

"Gotta love that sire bond, huh?" Caroline bites, trotting off angrily.

"It wasn't supposed to be so literal…" Damon trails off, frowning.

Why would they even bring the stake? To use it on whom? What other Original was going to be here aside from Klaus? Sometimes Caroline questions why she's friends with these idiots. And are they seriously going to try and kill Rebekah or Kol now that they're here? Really? Yeah, she was thinking about it earlier, but would she have gone through with it? Hell to the no!

As she goes through the rest of the mansion, making her way to the dining room, she hears faint Christmas music playing. _Is that…is that Michael Bublé?_

She drifts towards the eargasmic music, navigating down a corridor and into a side room where a vinyl spins on a record. She creeps in stealthily, observing every accent in the room from the cherry wood floors to the seemingly professionally painted pictures of snow-covered landscapes. One of them sort of looks like the street her house is on, but that's impossible. Streets all look the same at one point. She picks up one of the angel figurines sitting on the windowsill, running her thumb along its porcelain face. Who would've thought that Klaus is the type for knickknacks?

"Can I help you?"

Caroline turns her head halfway, eyeing Klaus out of the corner of her eye. She puts down the little angel figurine she was toying with and chews on her bottom lip. She isn't even full on looking at him and she's already starting to blush. He must've just got out of the shower because she can still smell soap and body wash on him and just sweet baby Jesus help her. Would it be too forward of her to say he smells wonderful? Probably.

"You went to an awful amount of trouble with this," she says, turning all the way around and she nearly falls over. Can she get pregnant from pants that fit so nicely and a red shirt that's snug in all the right places? Because if so, then oops. "The lights and trees out front? Not your style."

"You're right," he says, shrugging. "That's all Rebekah."

"And you're fine with her being awake?"

"It's complicated," he simply says, stepping towards her. She heads in the opposite direction. "Is this something else of ours? I push and you pull away?

She half-smirks and tilts her head. "There isn't an _our_."

Klaus face splits into a wide grin, sinister dimples and all. _He is so insufferable_, Caroline tries to convince herself. _Ugh. What a con._ She's pretty sure Lana Del Ray has a song written about him.

"Either way, allow me to say how exquisite you look tonight, which I'm aware isn't saying much since you're stunning everyday."

"Oh wow! Did you make sure to look in a thesaurus before this?"

"Sweetheart, when you've been around as long as I have such books as those aren't of much use any longer." He's on her now, two inches away and their chests barely touch. He could kiss her or pull her to him, feel her life in his hands once again, but he won't. If anything does happen tonight, then he won't be the blame. For the first time in a long time, he has no dastardly plans for the evening. Caroline wants him to hear her and her friend's case over dinner and he's perfectly okay with that when he knows he shouldn't be. But as much as he would like to believe that they have a plan in the back of his mind, he truly doesn't think they do. Maybe it really is just Christmas.

"We should go," he says, backing away from her and relief yet longing washes over Caroline. "Wouldn't want anyone getting any ideas, hm?"

And then he's gone and she's standing in this homey room that feels so human with Christmas music playing and she's wondering how he can be so charming one moment and go on a rampage the next. She doesn't think she'll ever understand Klaus, but she's willing to try…or something like it.

* * *

"This music sucks," Damon mutters under his breath and Elena kicks him underneath the table.

The music isn't the only thing that sucks for Damon. See, he doesn't like this whole night one bit. He doesn't like how him, his girlfriend, brother, the Originals sans Elijah (lucky bastard), Caroline, and Matt and April are sitting around a table acting like they've been friends for years. Do these people know that they hate each other or…

"Rebekah, this ham is so delicious," April compliments and she's so happy and delusional and Damon is about to explode with laughter because she's _so dumb_. As if Rebekah could actually cook. There's like ten compelled mothers in the kitchen preparing dessert right now. He can hear their hearts beating.

"Thank you," Rebekah accepts. "It's a new recipe."

"Who did you have to screw to get that one?" Kol asks and Elena snorts and tries to play it off by coughing, but she fails horribly.

"Oh, come on guys. It's Christmas," Stefan says. "We're supposed to be bonding—" he looks at Damon—"family bonding. Not trying to create bigger rifts than there already are."

"That's funny, Stefan," Damon replies, chewing whatever he just put in his mouth even harder. "Coming from the guy who tells about a thousand lies a day and expects his girlfriend not to leave him."

"Whenever I lied to Elena, it was for the best! And nine times out of ten, it had something to do with you, dick!"

Damon slams his glass down on the table and busts up from his seat. Elena tugs on his arm, telling him to stop, but he doesn't. "Just admit defeat, Stefan. You lost her and she doesn't want you. She doesn't need you anymore."

"And you're so much better?" Stefan shoots back. "Tell me, how does screwing her mother and turning her make you the better man?"

"This is so much fun," Kol says gleefully, beaming. "And I thought we had family drama."

"Can we not do this right now?" Elena asks weakly and the Salvatores continue to go at it.

"Why is she still sired to you?" Stefan yells. "Because you're really that selfish that you won't let her live her life the way she wants to?"

"The 1300s were great times, weren't they, Nik?" Rebekah interrupts and Klaus quite literally facepalms.

"1300s? What?" April questions excitedly.

"We're supposed to be talking about Tyler, guys!" Caroline shouts, banging her hands on the table.

"At what point?" Damon asks, annoyed. "Before or after you were making goo-goo eyes with your new boyfriend?"

She totally was not making goo-goo eyes with Klaus. She looked at, like, twice. Okay three times. Four tops. Five and she's not going any higher. Was it really that obvious? It wasn't like she was eyefucking him or anything. She was pretty sure he was doing that to her, but it definitely wasn't the other way around. Make no mistake, Mr. Salvatore.

"There has to be a deal we can work out, right?" Caroline continues, ignoring Damon and his judgy glare. Okay, so maybe it's payback or something. She turns to Klaus who's already staring intently on her and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't pleased. "A trade we can do for Tyler's life?"

"There's nothing you lot have that I don't," he answers, leaning forward in his chair. "Nothing is going to stop me from hunting Tyler down and killing him. Slowly."

"But—"

"He's taken everything I've waited over a thousand years for, Caroline. If that doesn't warrant a painful death, then please inform me what does," Klaus explains to her.

For a moment, Caroline can see just why he feels the way that he does. It's disappointment and unabashed anger. It's frustration and resentment at the act that after years and years of waiting and finally succeeding, it's all taken away from you right from under your nose. And he hates himself for getting so lazy and sidetracked that he hadn't noticed them pulling the wool over his eyes. But in death, there is only more death and destruction and she knows that this is who Klaus is and that he doesn't care who it is that he hurts, but one day he'll have to stop. Maybe he's immortal and will see the earth until the sun engulfs it in flames, but he will have nothing and no one left. On the exterior he can be alive and appear to be just a regular human, but on the interior he's dead and not just physically. Because you're not really alive when you're alone, are you?

"The stake," Caroline blurts. "You want the stake."

"Barbie, I swear to—"

"If it's anything we have, then it's the stake. It's the only thing that can kill you and your family and you would want it in your possession, right?"

Damon throws his head back and laughs darkly. "You just can't get any dumber, can you?"

"You would do best holding your tongue," Klaus says to him.

Jingle Bell Rock plays in the background and Matt decides that him and April have had a lot of fun, but really they should be going.

(_"Wait for me," Rebekah says as she follows after them. _

_"We're not friends, Rebekah," Matt tells her and she just laughs. _

_"Of course we are! I bought you a truck!")_

"We're not giving you the stake," Damon barks. "I don't give a damn what you do to Tyler and I'll be damned if I just handover the only weapon that can defend us from your disgusting family."

"How about you and I visit the batting cages soon," Kol suggests nonchalantly. "I think that comment is deserving of a bat to the face, wouldn't you think so?"

"Do I need to embarrass you again you little shit?"

"The only one who'll embarrass themselves is you, Salvatore."

"Mighty big for someone who got their ass handed to them by someone not even half their age."

"Stop it!" Elena yells. "This is not why we're here." And then she does something she'll probably never forgive herself in a million years for. She turns to Klaus and, well, she apologizes. "Sorry about this, but we'll just see ourselves to the door."

Caroline can't believe this is happening and Klaus is speechless because he didn't want any of this to begin with and he honestly doesn't even care what his baby brother is getting himself. He's more concerned about the mention of a stake, a stake that Caroline does not have.

Elena and Damon leave, Kol following after shooting out insult after insult and finally Stefan going after him. As much as he supposedly "despises" his brother, he's not going to stop looking after his reckless self.

And then there were two.

"I believe you said this would be civilized," Klaus sighs as he gets up from the table.

"I can't really control my friends just like the way you can't control your family," she replies solemnly. "We've gotten nowhere. I didn't convince you and—"

"Why would you dangle the stake like that? It's not in your possession and why would you so willingly give up the only thing that can kill me?"

She pauses as he begins to make his way towards the front of the house. She trails after him like a kitten, thinking over her thoughts and for a real reason as to why she would ever suggest it. As long as him and his family are still on this earth, they will always be a threat. She just needs to realize that Elena's life will always be held over anyone else's, as unfair as it might be.

"I guess I just had a moment of misjudgment," she tells him and he's stopped in the foyer, opening the door and waits for her to make her exit.

"Believe me, Caroline, if I want the stake, then I'll get the stake. I don't need you to offer it to me."

She nods slowly and begins to leave, but stops halfway out the door. She turns around and he regards her curiously.

"The other day," Caroline says, taking a step forward. "When you said Tyler wasn't unique...you were lying. He's your first successful hybrid and you know he has a special place in your life because of that."

Klaus twitches. "You love making assumptions, don't you?"

"It's not an assumption. It's a fact. You made him feel more alive than ever and you're proud of that, aren't you? You don't want to kill him. Not after all of this. You'd be back to square one."

"Caroline, if I have to wait another century to make another hybrid, you can be damn sure that I will. Tyler means nothing to me. He knows not where his loyalty lies and it'll be only a matter of time before he turns on you. Oh wait. He already has."

She bites her lip and casts her eyes to the floor. It's true to an extent. Tyler just doesn't know whom to trust nowadays. He's been so fixated on ridding the world of Klaus that he's become blinded by his rage. He was vulnerable and taken advantage of by a girl who he thought wanted to do what's right. And he chose her over Caroline time and time again. He chose someone he hasn't even known for a year over someone he's known practically since birth.

"What are you so afraid of?" she asks. "Why do you need the hybrids? Why can't you just let nature run its course?"

"You're talking like a witch, sweetheart."

"Just answer the question. Why do you need them? You're invincible, right? The 'most powerful creature on the planet' you said. What is a measly hybrid going to do for you?"

She sees his Adam's Apple bob in his throat and suddenly he's livid. "You've overstayed your welcome," he hisses, gripping her arm harshly and dragging her towards the door. "The next time you want to play psychiatrist, make sure it's not with me."

She snatches herself away, planting her feet in the foyer. "You're just afraid of being alone, right? You know, I figured that was what it was months ago, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around it," she says, shaking her head. "You always had your brothers and Rebekah. What more could you have wanted? What could you possibly need?"

Klaus swallows, glancing away from her strong gaze. She's a fire, this one. Doesn't care what she says and whom she says it to. She has an unchained spirit within her that he can't help but be drawn to. And when she knocks him down at the knees, unrelenting and truthful yet not meaning to be spiteful, he can remember what it's like to care and have a heart. Because maybe he's soulless and has no heart—or it's just cold and hardened—but when he's with Caroline…he feels. And it's not usual rage or hatred or loneliness. It's something different. It's delightful.

But he won't let her know that. She doesn't deserve to know. She's gorgeous—absolutely breathtaking—but he's smarter than that. They are sworn enemies and that's all they ever will be. Perhaps in a year, he remembers telling her. A century. Be realistic. What are the chances, mate?

"Is it power?" she ventures, closing the gap between them. Outside it just begins to snow. The first snowfall of the season and what a beautiful thing that is. A white Christmas in Mystic Falls. When's the last time that ever happened? Or maybe there was too much going on for anyone to notice.

"Do you just want to feel omnipotent or something? You have this god complex, don't you?"

"Leave," he says, tightlipped. "Now."

She shakes her head slowly, her curls bouncing with each tiny little movement. "You gain nothing by killing Tyler. You gain nothing by killing anyone. You don't get control. You can force loyalty for yourself all you want, but in the end you'll push everyone away who has ever cared about you. And you've already done it."

"Then why are you still here?"

She tilts her head to the side and presses her lips together. His eyes are burning into hers, intense and flaming with discontent. Every instinct is telling her to get the hell out of this place, but she just can't. Unfinished business and all that.

"Because as much as I should hate you," Caroline says, tangling her fingers into the hem of her dress, "I like to believe that you can do better."

On Halloween, he made the moves first. Pinning her against the wall, running his hands along her thighs until her lips quivered, but not this time. She's in control as her hands glide over his shoulders and lace around his neck and her lips brush over his the tiniest bit. It's soft and sweet and intimate and Caroline curses herself over and over, but she doesn't stop because it's never enough. She pushes him back against the nearest wall and kisses him. Really kisses him. There is no mistletoe, but it's not needed. Who wants to kiss under a parasite anyway?

Klaus' hands slide over her hips, ruffling the fabric of her snow dress as her tongue invades his warm mouth. She's lost in her thoughts and he's utterly shocked by this turn of events that he can't even speak. He's angry with her. Livid. He should reach through her chest and pull her heart out. He should give it to her mother for Christmas. He should remind everyone that he is still to be feared. He has not gone soft and if you ever had such a thought, then he will tear your family about slowly and painfully without a second thought. He's done it before so why wouldn't he do it again?

But with Caroline…with her mouth and her tongue and her lips and her body so wondrous and damning…he can forget about the evil agenda for a little bit. It is Christmas after all. Might as well humor himself a bit.

"I thought champagne was our thing, but obviously it's holidays," he says and her lips are on his neck and _oh gods. _

"For the last time, we don't have a thing and…we should shut the door," Caroline points out as she breaks away and kicks the thing shut. She cocks her head to the side. "Better."

Klaus smirks. He doesn't think he'll ever understand her. One moment she hates him and the next she's sexually harassing him. Well, he doesn't mind one bit.

"You should really learn not to wear such pretty dresses when I'm around," Klaus breathes into her neck as he pushes her against the door. She's vanilla and soft and he swears she'll be the death of him one day.

"Or maybe you should just learn to control your raging hormones," she retorts, hitching her leg up on his waist.

"If memory serves, you were the one all over me." He pulls away from her and gives her that famous dimpled grin. "I was the innocent victim. _Again_."

Caroline rolls her eyes and his hands are back on her, tearing at the thin straps of her dress until the thing is ruined and falls effortlessly to the floor. He takes her up in his arms, loving the feeling of her skin just beneath his fingertips. She's purity and innocence embodied into a siren. She's a vixen, stealing away his breath with her mouth. She's a succubus, invading his every thought and action with images of her body writhing underneath him.

And oh how he can barely contain himself from witnessing the real thing once again.

It's a task to make it upstairs, articles of clothing flying every which way and Caroline's face is a flustered mess as well as her hair. But all of that is tossed away once Klaus deposits her on his bed and suddenly it's not quick and rushed and lustful. No. It's slow and deliberate and gentle. She doesn't know why she still has her shoes on, but she does so he removes them and kisses the tops of her feet through her pantyhose.

Caroline is a goner.

"I didn't take you for the fetish type," she sighs wistfully as she lays all the way back, sinking into the lush blankets and silken sheets. A bed made for a king indeed.

"We all have our secrets," he responds, still ghosting over her stocking covered feet. "Some stranger than others."

"Well, next time I'll wear fishnets."

She said next time and it hits her like an SUV.

She can feel him smirk proudly.

Klaus crawls up her figure, nudging her legs open with his body. He hooks his fingers around the top of her pantyhose and she lifts her legs up. His hands glide up and down their sinewy and long form, brushing his lips against them until he's started to pull her lovely stockings off and all that's left is bare flesh. He's still so surprised by how supple she is. How smooth and untainted and perfect. How could she have ever been insecure when she has the body of a goddess? It makes no sense to him.

"You're extraordinary," he tells her, kissing along her inner thighs. She can feel herself begin to melt.

"That's a new one." She scoots down a little bit until she feels his breath over her most intimate of places and what a thing this is. She closes her eyes and sinks her arms into the plush pillows and one of the most teasingly magnificent sensations flood her entire being as he sucks her through her underwear.

"God," she breathes.

"Isn't my name, sweetheart, but I'll take it for now."

He's sending her to the stars and leaving her there as his tongue lazily slides over her soaked panties, taking immense pleasure in her little whines and stifled moans. She wants more. She needs direct contact and so she glides one of her hands down to the top of her undies, but he swats it away.

"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet," he scolds, tracing a finger down her slit through the fabric. And how sweet it is.

"Stop quoting Shakespeare," she groans, gripping the sheets around her.

"Rousseau, sweetheart," he corrects, torturously pulling down her panties ever so slowly.

She gets a bit eager, wiggling her legs just a bit to get them down lower, but that's when he stops pulling them completely.

"We're doing this my way, Caroline," he murmured, breathing in her arousal. "It'd be better for you not to rush things."

Caroline rolls her eyes and tries to relax herself, the anticipation exploding all over her skin. "You're terrible," she huffs.

"This must be awful then." He takes one long, excruciatingly slow swipe with his tongue along her sensitive lips and Caroline bucks her hips, wonderstruck and seemingly asphyxiated.

"It's dreadful," she breathes, shivering and shaking under his touch. Klaus' hands creep up her body, over her stomach and stopping at her plump breasts. She arches into his wandering hands and lowers her hips as his tongue delves deeper between her folds, making her mind go blank. She threads her fingers with his as they violate her breasts in the best possible way and she screams—hollers to heavens and beyond—when he tugs on that nub of nerves with his lips and sucks on it and _please don't stop. _

Oh she's terrible for this and so is he. This should be illegal. The way he's touching and tasting and kissing her. It's shameful how much she's enjoying herself. What would her friends think that they already don't? She's pretty sure Elena suspects something now and that should be enough to tell her to stop, but at least Klaus never abused her for his own personal amusement. No, it's the complete opposite actually…

She bends her legs and parts them wider, giving him full access to her core, but he lets up and lazily kisses up her body, nibbling at her skin with human teeth. Her fingers rake up and down his back as his mouth finds hers once more, stealing away the breath of her lungs and the life from her soul. She remembers when she was innocence wrapped in sheep's clothing trying to run away from the big bad wolf, but eventually he caught up to her and changed her. She sunk those teeth into him and he stole her away, sealing her fate from the first taste. She was a goner the moment he said genuine beauty.

Caroline's legs wrap around his waist as he slides into her, groaning at the comfortable warmth and tenderness of her. It's not just molding into her body, it's her soul and her spirit that he feels so connected to. This humanity that burns so bright within her that spreads to everyone she touches. She's glorious and she's the last thing a coward like him deserves.

She flips him over to his back and leans over to peck at his neck, whispering, "What happened to doing this your way?"

"Who says it isn't?" he asks, fiddling with the clasp of her bra until it just snaps. Oh well. He'll buy her a new one.

She sits up and tosses the offending garment to the side and he palms her breasts, squeezing them gently as hers scrape at his chest. She rolls her hips slowly and Klaus matches her movements with his. He lets his hands glide down her side and settle on her hips, bringing her down on him faster—harder. His fingers dig into her skin, leaving behind quickly healing bruises. She brings one of her hands down to where they are connected so intimately and rubs the tiny bud that his tongue had so skillfully toyed with only a few moments before.

Her moans and sighs are like a crowd at a concert and her face is the portrait of bliss and amazement. She's in control and she's missed this feeling from the very second he left her on Halloween. This emptiness was at the pit of her gut, screaming to be filled only by him and his body alone. But now she is and it's amazing and _god you're so perfect_.

He forces her over onto her back, but then brings her right back up to an upright position and she tilts her head back as he laces his hands through her hair, bring her back. She looks him in the eyes, hers hooded with desire and wanton thoughts as the pinnacle of their night begins to bubble to the surface and suddenly she's screaming Klaus' name and he's whispering hers. She's driving her nails so far into his shoulder blades she's afraid that'll never heal and her skin is so foreign beneath his fingertips, covered in goosebumps. She bumps her forehead into his and their noses touch before, without warning, he sinks his fangs deep into her neck. She arches into him and lets her head fall back into his palm as he drinks her life, his thoughts muddled by her. She's intoxicating and frustrating. He could get drunk from her. He could quite literally drain her dry and it wouldn't be enough. But he knows it must hurt her even though she does nothing to stop him.

Part of her enjoys the sensation of dizziness and weakness. It's anything but new to her, the reigning Kidnapped and Vervained champ of the universe, yet it's totally different. It's close and he's gentle and neat, cradling her head in his hand as she starts to lose herself. He leaves her neck, biting into his wrist and bringing it up to her lips to drink until she's cured.

They sink back into the bed, still just a tangle of limbs. It snows harder and frost covers the edges of the windows. The clock says that it's just past midnight. On Halloween, she remembers, she was angry. She thinks it was anger sex. There was no romance. It was just sexual tension that exploded into one big clusterfuck of thoughts and dreams, but this time she has no excuses. There isn't anywhere she can escape to because she wanted this to happen. She willed it to.

"You're not so bad," she tells him, gliding her fingers up and down his arm.

"You never gave me a chance," he says, lightly pecking the side of her face.

"I had no reason to."

"But now you do," Klaus breathes as he once again slides into her. She wraps her legs around his waist, sighing as he thrusts into her once again. She blinks and laces her arms around his neck, bringing him closer.

"I guess so," Caroline says before their lips connect in the sweetest kiss she's ever tasted.

"Merry Christmas," he whispers into her mouth.

She inwardly smiles. And a merry Christmas it is.


End file.
